The end of the year is nearing, and you may be one of those individuals who like to look back and reflect on your year and decide what you’d like to continue and what you’d like to change moving forward. One thing you may want to consider is joining the School of Government. We are hiring for three positions:

• Assistant Professor of Family Law,
• Legal Research Associate, and
• Local Government Law Fellow.

Assistant Professor of Family Law.

The full posting for this tenure track position in family law is here: https://unc.peopleadmin.com/postings/309343

The faculty member in this position will focus on child custody and support, divorce, alimony, equitable distribution, contracts between spouses, civil domestic violence protection orders and civil no-contact orders, as well as contempt. Given the substantive work, this faculty member will be a main support for district court judges presiding over family law by providing advice, creating and delivering courses, teaching in annual conferences, and authoring scholarship that includes the  North Carolina Trial Judge’s Bench Book, District Court, Family Law and posts on the School’s On the Civil Side blog. Opportunities to work with magistrates, clerks of superior court, and other judicial officials also exist through programs offered by the North Carolina Judicial College at the School as well as the School’s partnership with the NC Administrative Office of the Courts.

Legal Research Associate

The full posting for this position is here: https://unc.peopleadmin.com/postings/310479

The individual in this position will join a team of research attorneys at the School who conduct legal research, analysis, and writing that supports the School’s faculty in their short- and long-term research needs. The substantive areas are varied and focus on local government law (e.g., public employees, land use, emergency management, liability for municipalities, human services) and the judiciary with a focus on substantive areas of the law (e.g., family law, criminal law, civil procedure, small claims, decedent estates) and judicial administration and authority.

Local Government Law Fellow

The School is launching a 12-month Local Government Law Fellowship to start September 1, 2026 for recent law graduates (must have degree by May 2026). The full posting for this Fellowship is here: https://unc.peopleadmin.com/postings/310638.

The purpose of the Fellowship is to prepare a recent law graduate for a career in local government law. The Fellow will be based out of Chapel Hill and work on research and writing projects under the guidance of the School’s faculty while also competing a supervised field placement with a local government to learn first-hand local government law and operations.

I Love Working at the School of Government

Working at the School has so many benefits I never thought of when I first applied years ago. I knew I would work with intelligent people, both internal and external to the School, who are dedicated to their work and public service. I didn’t realize how fun and fulfilling it would be to form strong relationships with colleagues as well as the professionals that I teach and advise. I knew I would have to become an expert in my field, but I didn’t realize how supportive the School would be in helping me learn, publish, and teach – especially in areas I had not based my legal career on like writing publications versus legal pleadings. I also didn’t realize how creative I could be in delivering the knowledge I have acquired in teaching, writing, and advising. I knew I would be part of a wonderful organization, but I didn’t realize how unique it is or the scope and breadth of its work throughout the State. I never dreamed I would be thanked daily for the work I do, but I am. I could say a lot more, but I’ll let some of my colleagues tell you what it’s like to work at the School in this short video.

If what you’ve read and heard on this post is interesting to you or someone you know, please apply. Don’t procrastinate because the deadlines are fast approaching. If you have questions, feel free to reach out to me at sara@sog.unc.edu.